UC-NRLF 


S  B 


, 


GIFT   ©F 


BRIEF  HISTORY 


Early  Horticulture  in  Oregon 


By  DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL 
PORTLAND 


1906 


Gift 


THE  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

A  Brief  History  of  Early  Horticulture  in  Oregon. 

By  DR.  J.  R.  CAKDWELL,  Portland. 
For  many  years  president  of  the  Oregon  State  Horticultural  Society. 

The  first  settlers  found  here  in  the  indigenous  fruits,  a 
promise  of  the  abundant  yield  of  the  cultivated,  varieties 
which  they  were  not  long  in  introducing  with  most  grati- 
fying results.  There  were  here  the  apple — pyrus  rivu- 
laria]  the  plum — prunus  subcordata;  the  grape — vitis 
Calif ornica  ;  two  elderberries  —  sambucus  glauca  and  sam- 
bucus  pubescens]  the  blackberry  —  rubus  ur sinus  ;  four 
raspberries  —  rubus  nutkanus,  rubus  leucodermis,  rubus 
pedatus,  and  rubus  spectabilis  ;  the  strawberry — fragaria 
Chilensis'j  several  wild  currants — ribes  aureum,  and  others; 
three  gooseberries,  edible  —  ribes  Menziesii]  four  or  more 
cranberries  —  vaccinium  parmfolium,  vaccinium  ovalifo- 
lium,  vaccinium  macrophyllum  ;  the  barberry  —  berberis 
aquifolium,  known  as  the  Oregon  grape,  our  State  flower; 
salal  —  gaultheria  myrsinites;  Juneberry  or  service  berry, 
black  haw  —  cratsegus  Douglasii  ;  filbert  —  corylus  rostrata  ; 
chinquapin  chesnut  —  castanopsis  crysophylla,  and  others 
perhaps  not  enumerated. 

The  introduction  of  the  first  cultivated  fruits  in  the 
country  in  1824  by  employees  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany is  a  pretty  story  with  a  touch  of  romance.  At  a 
dinner  given  in  London,  in  1824,  to  several  young  men 
in  the  employ  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  bound  for  the 
far  distant.  Pacific  Coast,  a  young  lady  at  a  table,  beside  one 
of  the  young  gentlemen,  ate  an  apple,  carefully  wrapped 
the  seeds  in  a  paper  and  placed  them  in  the  vest  pocket 
of  the  young  gentleman,  with  the  request  that  when  he 


544138 


4  '  FIRST 'BRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

arrived  in  the  Oregon  Country  he  should  plant  them  and 
grow  apple  trees.  The  act  was  noticed  and  in  a  spirit  of 
merriment  other  ladies  present  from  the  fruits  of  the  table 
put  seeds  of  apple,  pears,  peach,  and  grape  into  the  vest 
pockets  of  all  the  gentlemen.  On  their  arrival  at  the 
Hudson  Bay  fort  at  Vancouver  the  young  gentlemen  gave 
the  seeds  to  the  company's  gardener,  James  Bruce,  who 
planted  them  in  the  spring  of  1825.  From  these  seeds 
came  the  trees  now  growing  on  the  grounds  of  the  Van- 
couver barracks,  as  transferred  to  the  Government  on  the 
disbanding  of  the  company.  This  story  we  have  from 
David  McLoughlin,  the  son  of  Dr.  John  McLoughlin, 
Mrs.  McLoughlin,  Mrs.  Whitman,  in  part,  and  others. 

Mrs.  Whitman,  in  September,  1836,  in  a  letter  to  her 
mother,  writes  of  her  visit  to  Vancouver,  and  her  admira- 
tion of  these  fruit  trees  and  their  fruits  as  follows :  "On 
arriving  at  Vancouver  we  were  met  by  several  gentlemen 
who  came  to  give  us  a  welcome.  Mr.  Douglas  and  Doctor 
Tolmie  and  Doctor  McLoughlin  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany who  invited  us  in  and  seated  us  on  a  sofa.  Soon 
we  were  introduced  to  Mrs.  McLoughlin  and  Mrs.  Tolmie, 
both  natives  of  the  country,  half-breeds;  after  chatting  a 
little  we  were  invited  to  take  a  walk  in  the  garden.  What 
a  delightful  place  it  is,  what  a  contrast  to  the  rough  bar- 
ren plains  through  which  we  had  so  recently  passed : 
here  we  find  fruits  of  every  description,  apples,  grapes, 
pears,  plums,  and  fig  trees  in  abundance  ;  also  cucumbers, 
melons,  beans,  pease,  beets,  cabbage,  tomatoes,  and  every 
kind  of  vegetable.  Every  part  is  very  neat  and  tastefully 
arranged  with  fine  walks  lined  on  either  side  with  straw- 
berries ;  at  the  end  of  the  garden  is  a  summer  house  with 
grapevines." 

The  apple  and  the  pear  trees,. and  the  grapevines  from 
these  seeds  are  yet  annually  bearing  fruits  on  the  grounds 
of  the  government  barracks  at  Vancouver.  Not  long  ago 


DR.  J.  R. 


I  visited  these  seedling  trees,  now  eighty  years  old,  hoary 
chroniclers  of  time,  yet  showing  a  vigorous  growth.  Mrs. 
Gay  Hoyden,  of  Vancouver,  informed  me  she  had  eaten 
fruit  from  these  trees  for  fifty-four  years.  The  fruit  is  not 
large,  but  of  fair  quality.  Fortunately  Government  does 
not  allow  a  tree  to  be  removed  or  destroyed  without  an 
order  from  the  department.  Capt.  Nathaniel  Wyeth,  in  his 
diary  of  1835,  speaks  of  having  grafted  trees  on  his  place, 
Fort  William,  on  Wapatoo  Island,  now  called  Sauvies' 
Island.  Grafts  and  stock  must  have  come  from  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  then  the  nearest  point  to  the  cultivated  fruits 
which  early  missionaries  had  brought  to  these  islands. 
As  Captain  Wyeth  left  the  country  soon  after,  we  have  no 
record  of  his  success  with  these  fruits.  As  Indians  and 
trappers  had  little  care  for  trees  or  cultivated  fruits,  this 
venture  can  not  be  considered  in  any  historical  record  of 
the  introduction  of  grafted  fruit  in  Oregon. 

The  Hudson  Bay  Company  introduced  the  first  culti- 
vated rose,  as  early  as  1830,  a  pink  rose,  with  the  attar  of 
rose  aroma.  An  occasional  Hudson  Bay  rose  may  yet  be 
seen  in  the  old  yards  in  Oregon  City  and  at  Vancouver. 
It  is  sometimes  called  the  Mission  rose.  Miss  Ella  Talbot, 
on  Talbot  Hill,  just  south  of  Portland  Heights,,  has  one 
more  than  forty  years  old.  The  Biddle  rose  —  the  Chinese 
Daly  —  1852,  probably  the  second  importation.  The 
Gillette  rose,  1853,  the  third  and  most  valuable,  is  now 
widely  distributed.  The  cut-leaved  Evergreen  blackberry 
came  from  the  Sandwich  Islands.  I  first  saw  it  early  in 
the  fifties,  covering  a  thirty-foot  trellis  in  the  dooryard  of 
J.  B.  Stevens — "Uncle  Jimmie  Stevens,"  as  he  was  known. 
From  him  I  learned  that  it  came  from  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  reported  to  be  a  native  of  one  of  the  South  Sea 
islands.  One  of  the  Feejee  islands  is  covered  with  it. 
Seth  Lewelling  originated  the  Lewelling,  the  Black  Re- 
publican, and  the  Bing  cherries,  in  the  sixties.  The  Bing 


,'t  •     • 

*    *    "t  •* 

•Yc !  i/i  *.M  •*-•"•!     :  •*/• .  / 

6  e  KRST  'FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

was.  named  after  a  faithful  old  Chinaman.  He  also  orig- 
inated the  Golden  prune  in  1876.  The  Silver  prune  was 
a  misnomer  of  Coe's  Golden  Drop,  perpetrated  by  a  nur- 
seryman about  1875.  The  Lambert  cherry  was  grown  by 
J.  H.  Lambert  and  presented  by  him  to  the  Oregon  State 
Horticultural  Society  at  the  annual  meeting  of  1896.  The 
Bremen  prune,  the  Imperial  Precose,  the  Ickwort  plum, 
Reine-Claucle,  Vert,  and  the  favorite  French  table  plum, 
the  Merabel,  were  in  my  importations  from  Germany  in 
1872.  The  Bullock  prunes  were  seedlings  of  the  seventies 
grown  by  Mr.  Bullock  near  Oswego.  A.  R.  Shipley,  some 
time  in  the  sixties,  imported  from  the  Eastern  States  forty- 
five  varieties  of  grapes,  American  and  European  varieties. 
For  some  years  he  grew  quite  a  vineyard,  was  an  enthu- 
siast in  grape  culture  —  a  business  man  retired  to  the 
country  for  love  of  horticulture.  A  close  observer  and  a 
good  cultivator,  he  did  valuable  work  for  the  grape  in- 
dustry, and  was  the  acknowledged  authority  on  the  sub- 
ject. He  discarded  all  European  varieties,  and  advised 
the  cultivation  of  only  the  American  varieties  for  the 
Willamette  Valley.  In  answer  to  my  request  to  name  the 
three  best  varieties  for  the  market,  he-  said,  "If  I  were 
setting  o.ut  three  hundred  grapes  to-day,  I  would  first  set 
one  hundred  Concords,  then  another  one  hundred  Con- 
cords, then  another  one  hundred  Concords,"  adding,  "  that 
is,  to  make  "money." 

In  early  days  we  had  agricultural  literature.  The  first 
paper  was  the  Oregon  Farmer,  August.  1858,  published  at 
Portland  by  W.  B.  Taylor  &  Co.,  Albert  G.  Walling,  editor. 
A  file  of  that  paper  in  the  rooms  of  the  Oregon  Historical 
Society  reads  well  to-day.  It  was  published  from  1858  to 
1863.  Then  came 'the  Oregon  A  griculturist,  Salem,  1870 
to  1872,  by  A.  L.  Stirison.  E.  M.  Waite  published  a  paper 
for  a  time  in  Salem.  The  North  Pacific  Rural  Spirit,  W.  W. 
Baker,  publisher  and  editor,  Portland,  started  in  1867,  is 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDwtiLl.  7 

now  published  and  edited  by  M.  D.  Wisdom.  To-day  we 
have  the  Rural  Spirit,  Portland,  Pacific  Homestead,  Salem, 
and  Oregon  Agriculturist  and  Rural  Northwest,  Portland, 
published  and  edited  by  H.  M.  Williamson,  and  the  North- 
west Pacific  Farmer,  Portland,  published  and  edited  by 
Frank  Lee. 

The  early  history  of  fruit-growing  presents  to  the  stu- 
dent at  once,  a  most  romantic  and  a  thoroughly  practical 
and  matter-of-fact  series  of  interesting  pictures.  It  is  re- 
lated of  some  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  Willamette  Val- 
ley that  nothing  more  thoroughly  and  painfully  accent- 
uated their  isolated  condition  than  the  absence  of  fruit 
trees  on  their  newly-made  farms.  Half  the  beauty  and 
pleasure  that  brightens  the  life  of  youth  and  childhood,  it 
is  not  too  much  to  say,  is  found  in  the  orchard  of  the  old 
homestead  —  the  sight  of  the  trees  in  bloom,  the  waiting 
and  watching  for  the  first  ripe  fruit,  the  in-gathering  of 
the  fruit  in  the  fall,  and  the  storing  of  it  away  in  bin  and 
cellar  for  use  in  the  winter  around  the  ingleside. 

Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  when  some  of  the  early  set- 
tlers were  called  to  southern  Oregon  to  aid  their  fellow- 
countrymen  in  repelling  the  attacks  of  Indians,  and  find- 
ing there  wild  plums  and  wild  grapes,  they  brought  with 
them  on  their  return,  roots  of  the  former  and  cuttings  of 
the  latter,  in  the  hope  that  these  foundlings  of  the  southern 
forest  would  take  kindly  to  a  more  northern  soil  ?  In  this 
act  of  transplanting  was  illustrated  the  world's  hunger  for 
the  fruit  of  the  vine  and  tree,  so  beautifully  illustrated  by 
Whittier  in  his  poem  commencing  with  these  lines: 

"The  wild  grape  by  the  river  side 
And  tasteless  ground-nut  trailing  low, 
The  table  of  the  woods  supplied." 

The  old  Puritans  could  not  have  been  such  terribly 
stern  and  uncompromising  foes  of  the  good  things  of  life, 


8  '  •'*'  T7RBT''FRiritfS    OF    THE    LAND 


after  all,  since  they  knew  enough  to  find  gustatory  delight 
in  such  fruits  as  kind  mother  Nature  provided  for  them 
in  their  exile. 

Fruit  culture  is  most  fascinating  and  ennobling,  as  well  as 
the  most  profitable  branch  of  horticulture,  and  the  advance 
in  the  fruit  product  is  evidence  of  the  culture  and  civiliza- 
tion of  a  people.  It  is  hard  to  overestimate  the  beneficial 
influence  on  health,  morals,  and  manners  of  a  generous 
fruit  supply.  The  ornamental  grounds  and  orchards  of 
the  homestead  do  much  in  childhood  to  strengthen  that 
love  of  home  and  pride  of  family  which  is  the  foundation 
of  all  patriotism.  The  cherished  memories  of  home  thus 
enriched  are,  in  after  life,  the  strongest  bond  of  family  to 
bring  back  the  absent  and  wandering  to  the  roof  tree; 
and  the  erring  one  is  not  wholly  lost  as  long  as  these 
sacred  memories  of  home  and  childhood  sometimes  come 
to  swell  the  heart  and  dim  the  eye  with  the  tear  of  repent- 
ance and  contrition. 

The  fruit  industry  as  a  business,  in  its  variety,  extent, 
and  commercial  importance,  as  we  find  it  to-day,  is  of  re- 
cent origin  and  within  the  memory  of  the  present  gener- 
ation, —  a  worthy  tribute  to  the  brain  and  muscle  of  men 
of  our  time.  National  and  international  communication 
over  water  and  land,  the  use  of  railroads  with  cheap  freight 
rates  and  rapid  transit  in  fruit  and  refrigerator  cars  cre- 
ated the  supply  ;  conversely  the  supply  increased  creates 
the  greatest  demand  —  an  inexorable  law  of  trade.  The 
intelligent  foresight  and  patient  labors  of  those  who  inau- 
gurated this  industry  in  the  far-off  wilds  of  Oregon,  are 
worthy  a  place  in  the  archives  of  the  State,  and  should  be 
kept  green  in  the  memory  of  those  to  come  after  us. 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL.  9 

In  the  summer  of  1847,  Mr.  Henderson  Luelling,1  of 
Iowa,  brought  across  the  plains  several  hundred  yearling 
grafted  sprouts  —  apple,  pear,  cherry,  plum,  prune,  peach, 
grape,  and  berries  —  a  full  assortment  of  all  the  fruits  grown 
in  the  then  far  West.  These  were  placed  in  soil  in  two 
large  boxes,  made  to  fit  into  a  wagon  bed,  and  carefully 
watered  and  tended  on  the  long  and  hazardous  six-months' 
journey  with  an  ox  team,  thousands  of  miles  to  the  banks  of 
the  Willamette  just  north  of  the  little  towns! te  of  Milwaukie, 
Clackamas  County. 

Here  a  little  patch  in  the  dense  fir  forest  was  cleared 
away  writh  great  labor  and  expense,  and  the  first  Oregon 
orchard  was  set  that  autumn  with  portent  more  signifi- 
cant for  the  luxury  and  civilization  of  this  country,  than 
any  laden  ship  that  ever  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Co- 
lumbia. A  fellow  traveler,  William  Meek,  had  also  brought 
a  sack  of  apple  seed  and  a  few  grafted  trees  ;  a  partnership 
was  formed  and  the  firm  of  Luelling  &  Meek  started  the 
first  nursery  in  1848.  Roots  from  seedling  apples  planted 
at  Oregon  City  and  on  French  Prairie,  and  sprouts  from 
the  wild  cherry  of  the  vicinity,  and  wild  plum  roots 
brought  in  from  Rogue  River  Valley,  furnished  the  first 
stock.  And  it  is  related  that  one  root  graft  in  the  nur- 
sery the  first  year  bore  a  big  red  apple,  and  so  great  was 
the  fame  of  it,  and  such  the  curiosity  of  the  people,  that 


1  It  will  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  difference  in  the  spelling  of  the  names  of 
Henderson  Luelling  and  Seth  Lewelling.  As  they  were  brothers  the  discrepancy 
may  seem  to  suggest  an  error  in  one  case  or  the  other.  The  explanation  is  this, 
it  being  given  me  by  Alfred  Luelling,  a  son  of  Henderson,  a  few  years  ago:  The 
family,  originally,  came  from  Wales,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century  settled  in  North  Carolina.  Soon  after  arriving  the  head  of  the  family 
decided  to  change  the  name  from  the  usual  Welsh  ^tyle  of  writing  it—  Llewellyn 
to  Luelling,  in  order  to  simplify  it  as  much  as  possible.  This  was  the  practice  of 
the  family  when  the  children  were  born  —  Henderson  on  April  2:'>,  1SGO,  and  Seth 
several  years  later.  During  his  whole  life  Henderson  followed  the  spelling 
adopted  by  his  father;  and  that  was  the  custom  of  Seth  until  late  in  life  — at 
least  as  late  as  1S75  — as  is  shown  by  his  nursery  catalogues  which  I  printed. 
Soon  after  the  latter  year  he  adopted  "Lewelling  "  as  his  mode  of  spelling  the 
name,  but  "Luelling  "  was  the  style  retained  by  the  remainder  of  the  family.— 
GEORGE  H.  HIMES. 


10  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

men,  women,  and  children  came  from  miles  around  to  see 
it,  and  made  a  hard  beaten  track  through  the  nursery  to 
this  joyous  reminder  of  the  old  homestead  so  far  away. 

Ralph  C.  Geer  also  came  in  1847  and  brought  one 
bushel  of  apple  seeds  and  half  a  bushel  of  pear  seeds,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  to  plant  an  orchard  in  the  Waldo 
Hills. 

People  in  those  days  in  this  sparsely  settled  country 
knew  what  their  neighbors  were  doing,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1848  and  spring  of  1849,  they  came  hundreds  of  miles 
from  all  over  the  country  for  scions  and  young  trees  to 
set  in  the  little  dooryard  or  to  start  an  orchard  ;  so  that 
the  trees  were  soon  distributed  all  over  the  settlements  of 
the  valley  —  yearlings  selling  at  fifty  cents  to  one  dollar 
each. 

The  first  considerable  orchards  were  set  on  French 
Prairie,  and  in  the  Waldo  hills  and  about  Salem.  Of  apples 
the  following  varieties  were  common  :  Red  Astrachan,  Red 
June,  Talman's  Sweet,  Summer  Sweet,  Gravenstein,  White 
Winter  Pearmain,  Blue  Pearmain,  Genet,  Gloria  Mundi, 
Baldwin,  Rambo,  Winesap,  Jennetting,  Seek-no-further, 
Tulpahockin,  American  Pippin,  Red  Cheek  Pippin,  Rhode 
Island  Greening,  Virginia  Greening,  Little  Romanite, 
Spitzenberg,  Swaar,  Waxen,  and  a  spurious  Yellow  New- 
town  Pippin  since  called  Green  Newtown  Pippin  —  a 
worthless  variety  which  has  since  caused  much  trouble  to 
nurserymen,  orchardists,  and  fruit  buyers,  and  brought 
by  mistake  for  the  genuine  —  and  other  varieties  not  now 
remembered. 

Of  pears,  the  Fall  Butter,  Pound  Pear,  Winter  Nellis, 
Seckle,  Bartlett,  and  others. 

Of  cherries,  May  Duke,  Governor  Wood,  Oxheart,  Black- 
heart,  Black  Tartarian,  Kentish,  and  others. 

Peaches,  the  Crawford,  Hale's  Early,  Indian  Peach, 
Golden  Cling,  and  seedlings. 


DR.  J.  R.  GARDWELL.  11 

Of  plums,  the  Gages,  Jefferson,  Washington,  Columbia, 
Peach  Plum,  Reine  Claude  and  Coe's  Late  Red  were  lead- 
ing varieties. 

Of  prunes  there  was  only  one  variety,  our  little  German 
prune,  a  native  of  the  Rhine,  sometimes  called  the  Rhine 
Prune,  and  from  which  our  Italian  is  a  lineal  descendant 
—  a  sport  from  its  native  country. 

The  grapes  were  the  Catawba  and  Isabella. 

The  climate  was  propitious,  and  the  soil  fertile,  and 
there  were  no  insect  pests.  Trees  grew  rapidly  and  they 
were  prolific  of  such  fruit  as  had  never  been  seen  before. 

About  1850,  a  Mr.  Ladd  started  a  nursery  near  Butte- 
ville,  and  in  the  same  year  Mr.  George  Settlemier  arrived 
by  way  of  California  with  a  good  supply  of  fruit-tree  seed, 
which  he  planted  on  Green  Point,  and  afterwards  removed 
to  his  present  home  at  Mt.  Angel,  where,  as  fast  as  his 
limited  means  would  allow,  a  large  stock  of  fruit  and  or- 
namental trees  were  accumulated,  making  in  all  the  largest 
variety  in  the  Territory.  Mr.  Settlemier  wisely  interested 
his  large  family  of  sons  in  the  business  by  giving  them 
little  blocks  of  ground  for  side  nurseries  of  their  own. 
J.  H.  Settlemier  tells,  with  pride,  how  he  started,  at  ten 
years  of  age,  in  three  fence  corners,  and  at  thirteen  had 
one  thousand  trees  and  sold  one  bill  of  $60. 

Another  nursery  was  started  near  Salem  and  the  pio- 
neer fruit  industry  was  fairly  inaugurated.  This  year  Mr. 
Luelling  went  back  East  and  selected  from  the  extensive 
nurseries  of  Ellwanger  and  Barry,  and  A.  J.  Downing,  a 
large  variety  of  young  trees  and  plants,  which  he  brought 
back  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  carried  across  by  Indian? 
and  mules.  This  time  Mr.  Luelling,  to  correct  his  mistake 
in  the  Yellow  Newtown  Pippin,  had  Mr.  Downing  per- 
sonally point  out  the  trees  as  they  were  dug.  Strangely 
the  same  mistake  occurred  again,  and  again  Luelling 
brought  out  the  Green  Newtown  Pippin,  and  it  was  not 


12  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

for  some  years  that  the  real  Yellow  Newtown  Pippin  was 
introduced  into  Oregon.  The  first  box  of  apples  placed 
upon  the  sidewalk  in  Portland,  by  Mr.  Luelling,  was  eagerly 
purchased  by  the  admiring  fruit  hungry  crowd  that  gath- 
ered about  at  one  dollar  per  apple,  and  returned  the  neat 
little  profit  of  $75. 

The  home  market  now  showed  many  of  the  above  men- 
tioned fruits,  which  were  eagerly  sought  at  fabulous  prices. 
Apples  brought  as  high  as  one  dollar  per  pound  by  the 
box,  and  in  Portland  retailed  at  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents 
per  pound  readily,  and  all  other  fruits  nearly  as  much. 

Californians,  fruit  hungry,  with  plethoric  purses,  bid 
high  for  the  surplus,  and  in  1853,  a  few  boxes,  securely 
bound  with  strap  iron  (as  was  the. custom  in  those  days  for 
protection  against  fruit  thieves),  were  shipped  to  San  Fran- 
cisco and  sold  for  two  dollars  per  pound. 

In  1854  five  hundred  bushels  of  apples  were  shipped 
and  returned  a  net  profit  of  from  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents 
to  two  dollars  per  pound.  In  1855  six  thousand  bushels 
were  shipped  and  returned  $20  to  $30  per  bushel.  Young 
trees  were  now  in  full  bearing  and  the  export  of  1856  was 
twenty  thousand  boxes.  This  year  one  box  of  Esopus 
Spitzenberg  paid  the  shipper  a  net  profit  of  $60,  and  three 
boxes  of  Winesap  were  sold  in  Portland  at  $102.  From 
this  time  to  1869  the  fall  and  winter  shipments  bimonthly 
to  San  Francisco,  per  steamer,  was  from  three  thousand 
to  six  thousand  boxes.  . 

In  those  days  the  foundation  for  many  a  princely  for- 
tune was  laid,  and  to-day  many  of  our  fellow  citizens  are 
enjoying  the  merited  reward  of  their  enterprise  in  a  lux- 
urious competence  and  the  "glorious -privilege  of  being 
independent."  But  California  with  her  proverbial  enter- 
prise, took  in  the  situation  and  imported  across  the  Isth- 
mus of  Panama  thousands  of  young  trees  and  root  grafts, 
which  multiplied  into  millions,  and  orchards,  which  had 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL.  13 

been  set  out  all  over  the  fertile  valleys  and  hillsides,  were 
now  coming  into  bearing  ;  thus  her  local  market  was  sup- 
plied because  she  was  an  exporter. 

The  business  decreased  from  1860  until  1870.  Only  a 
few  boxes  per  steamer  of  the  late  winter  varieties  were 
sent.  These  were  the  Yellow  Newtown  Pippin,  Winesap, 
Red  Cheek  Pippin,  Genet,  and  Red  Romanite,  which, 
grown  in  our  cooler  climate,  kept  until  the  California  va- 
rieties were  gone.  This  marks  the  decadence  of  the  fruit 
industry  in  Oregon.  California  sent  us  apples,  pears, 
cherries,  plums,  prunes,  apricots,  grapes,  arid  berrries  a 
month  or  two  earlier  than  we  could  produce  them ;  and 
with  them  came  many  of  the  insect  pests  which  she  had 
imported  from  Australia  and  the  Eastern  States,  which 
hitherto  had  been  unknown  to  us.  In  our  isolation  we 
had  no  outlet  by  rail  or  water  for  our  surplus  products. 
Transportation,  such  as  we  had,  was  enormously  expen- 
sive. We  could  not  even  ship  dried  fruits.  Our  elegant 
orchards  were  neglected  and  the  fruit  allowed  to  fall  to  the 
ground  and  decay,  thus  furnishing  breeding  grounds  for 
the  green  and  woolly  "aphis"  and  the  "codlin  moth." 

To  recapitulate :  the  establishment  of  orchards  in  Cali- 
fornia ;  the  fall  of  prices  to  something  like  a  normal  stand- 
ard ;  over-production,  perhaps,  on  our  part — at  any  rate  the 
lack  of  demand  at  remunerative  prices  for  the  fruits 
peculiar  to  this  section  —  led  to  carelessness  on  the  part  of 
growers,  neglect  of  the  most  ordinary  precautions,  inatten- 
tion and  wastefulness,  which  resulted  not  only  in  sponta- 
neous breeding  of  insect  pests,  but  also  to  such  conditions 
of  ground  and  trees  that  made  them  favorable  to  the  im- 
measurably rapid  propagation  of  them,  when  the  estab- 
lishment of  communication  with  infected  points  made 
their  introduction  not  only  possible  but  certain.  The 
natural  result  of  this  much-to-be-deplored  condition  of 
affairs  is  too  well  known  to  need  elaboration.  In  this 


14  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

respect  we  were  confronted  with  a  condition,  not  a  theory; 
and  while  leaving  this  condition  an  open  subject  for  fur- 
ther reference  before  concluding,  I  pass  on  to  a  new  era  — 
premising  that  the  establishment  of  one,  two,  and  three 
transcontinental  railways,  the  rapidly  growing  population 
of  the  Northwest  extending  back  to  the  valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, the  limited  fruit  area  for  the  few  hardy  varieties, 
present  conditions  to  which  we  must  now  adjust  ourselves. 
The  Department  of  the  Interior,  recognizing  the  fact 
that  the  vast  "waste  places"  of  the  great  Northwest,  des- 
tined to  be  the  homes  of  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
hardy  and  adventurous  home-builders,  would  be  found 
unsuitable  for  the  propagation  of  our  fruits,  ordered  the 
importation  of  apples  and  other  fruits  acclimated  to  the 
regions  of  Russia  and  Siberia  and  arranged  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  experiment  stations  to  plant  and  test  these 
trees  in  the  cold,  desolate  regions  north  of  us.  Prof.  J.  L. 
Budd,  of  the  Iowa  Agricultural  College,  and  Mr.  Charles 
Gibb  traveled  through  Russia  and  made  a  very  full  col- 
lection, consisting  of  hundreds  of  varieties  of  wild  and 
cultivated  fruits.  These  were  distributed  widely  over  the 
Northwest  and  were  also  tested  by  Professor  Budd  on  the 
college  grounds.  All  experiments,  practically,  have  proven 
failures.  To  give  some  idea  of  the  result  of  these  experi- 
ments, and  the  present  status  of  "orcharding"  in  the  West 
and  North'west,  I  quote  from  an  article  in  the  November 
American  Garden,  from  the  pen  of  Prof.  J.  L.  Budd  : 

The  summers  and  winters  during  the  past  six  years  have  been  the 
most  trying  known  to  the  history  of  the  West  on  orchard  fruits.  So 
far  as  I  know,  the  wreck  of  western  orchards  had  known  DO  parallel 
in  the  world's  history.  On  the  college  grounds,  the  old  orchard  of 
1,200  trees,  planted  prior  to -our  experimental  work  with  Russian 
fruits,  was  totally  wrecked,  and  is  now  a  clover  field.  Of  the  118 
varieties,  the  hardiest  of  the  old  list,  the  Duchess,  Whitney's  No.  20, 
and  Tetofsky  were  the  only  really  sound  trees  left  when  the  orchard 
was  grubbed  out.  In  Like  manner  our  pear,  European  plum,  and 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL.  15 

cherry,  of  the  old  list  have  been  destroyed  and  the  stubs  dug  out. 
Over  a  large  part  of  the  State  east  of  the  Missouri  divide,  this  orchard 
wrecking  has  been  as  complete  as  with  us. 

In  those  snowy  and  ice-bound  regions  before  referred  to 
will  in  a  few  years  be  found  vast  aggregations  of  people. 
Let  the  experiments  of  planting  acclimated  fruits  be  ever 
so  successful,  all  that  can  be  grown  either  for  ornament  of 
their  bleak  homes,  or  for  the  supply  of  the  local  markets 
will  be  but  a  fraction,  and  an  insignificant  one  at  that,  of 
the  amount  required. 

But  to  follow  up  the  line  of  thought  from  the  virtual 
blight  and  vital  paralysis  of  this  industry  in  our  own 
borders,  to  illustrate  the  spirit  of  the  times,  California 
now  leading  off,  had  gathered  enormous  crops  from  her 
immensely  large  orchards.  The  problems  of  rapid  transit, 
safe  packing  for  long  distances,  transportation  and  reason- 
able freight  rates,  had  not  received  the  attention  they 
deserved  from  orchardists  and  railroad  men.  Things 
were  in  a  chaotic  state.  The  facilities  for  canning  were 
entirely  inadequate.  The  fruit  could  not  be  handled, 
and  thousands  of  tons  were  left  to  rot,  or  taken  to  an  un- 
remunerative  market,  and  dumped  into  San  Francisco 
Bay.  There  was  a  flurry  among  fruit  growers ;  outspoken, 
indeed  clamorous  expressions  of  alarm  were  heard  on  all 
sides.  The  timid  prophesied  wreck,  ruin,  and  disaster. 
Newly  planted  orchards  were  given  over  to  neglect ;  large 
tracts  set  aside  for  tree  planting  were  left  to  native  pastur- 
age, or  sown  to  wheat,  oats,  clover  or  grass.  A  vast,  im- 
portant, and  promising  industry  was  in  great  jeopardy. 
The  press  of  the  Golden  State,  the  common  carriers,  the 
far-sighted  men  who  saw  what  the  possibilities  were  in 
this  direction,  came  to  the  rescue  with  well-considered 
presentations  of  the  true  facts  in  the  premises.  They  dis- 
cussed the  subject  at  issue  in  the  light  of  well-established 
and  fully-recognized  business  principles. 


16  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

The  geographical  position  of  the  country,  its  peculiar 
climatic  surroundings,  its  adaptability  to  the  production 
of  certain  fruits,  and  the  lack  of  similar  climatic  conditions 
in  vast  areas  certain  to  be  the  homes  of  vast  populations, 
were  pointed  out  and  dwelt  upon,  and  the  certainty  that 
these  vast  populations  in  the  nature  of  things,  would  re- 
quire immense  supplies  of  our  fruits,  green,  dried,  canned, 
and  preserved,  was  made  apparent.  This  view  of  the 
case  struck  the  country  press  forcibly.  It  was  restated, 
reiterated,  and  continuously  kept  before  the  people  with 
results,  which,  in  their  magnitude  and  importance,  can 
only  be  hinted  at  in  this  article.  But,  much  that  was 
said,  and  all  there  was  to  say,  applied  as  well  to  Oregon, 
and  our  practical  thinking  men  took  up  the  subject.  The 
scare  was  over  —  the  spirit  was  contagious.  Old  orchards 
were  trimmed  and  cultivated  and  new  ones  set.  All  the 
fruits  of  the  temperate  zone,  so  far  as  tried,  had  done  well 
in  Oregon.  Our  Italian  prunes,  Bartlett  pears,  and  Royal 
Ann  and  Black  Republican  cherries  paid  best,  and  were 
attracting  favorable  attention  abroad.  The  last  few  years 
trees  of  these  varieties  had  been  set  out  by  hundreds  of 
thousands  all  over  the  State,  but  mostly  through  the  Wil- 
lamette Valley.  The  trees  when  properly  cared  for  make 
a  vigorous,  healthy  growth  ;  and  five  years  from  the  set- 
ting make  pecuniary  returns. 

As  these  to-day  are  our  leading  varieties  and  of  consid- 
erable importance  and  great  promise  in  the  future  com- 
mercially, they  seem  to  deserve  some  historical  record. 
The  prune,  as  before  stated  was  introduced  in  1847  by 
Henderson  Luelling  of  Iowa.  Our  little  German  prune  — 
Luelling  prune  —  is  the  true  German  prune,  a  native  of 
the  Rhine,  propagated  from  the  seed, and  cultivated  more 
extensively  in  Germany  and  over  the  continent  of  Europe 
than  any  other  fruit,  and  is  the  "butter"  and  the  condi- 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL.  17 

ment  of  the  peasantry  and  a  principal  source  of  revenue. 
The  prune  has  always  done  well  with  us. 

In  1857  Mr.  Henry  Miller,  of  the  firm  of  Miller  &  Lam- 
bert, of  Milwaukie,  who  had  purchased  the  orchard  of 
Luelling&  Meek,  sent  to  EllwangerA  Barry,  of  Rochester, 
N.Y.,for  the  best  drying  prunes;  and  in  answer  received 
scions  of  the  Italian  (Fallenburg),and  a  little  oblong  pur- 
ple prune  called  the  d'Agen,but  not  the  prune  grown  now 
as  Petite  d'Agen  or  French  prune.  These  scions  were 
worked  on  bearing  plum  trees,  and  soon  bore  heavy  crops. 
The  d'Agen,  though  a  sweet,  palatable  prune,  when  green 
proved  to  be  a  poor  shipper  and  watery  and  unsuitable 
for  drying;  so  after  being  pretty  extensively  tested  over 
the  State,  was  abandoned.  The  Italian  was  a  large  palat- 
able fruit,  a  good  shipper,  and  yielded  thirty-three  per 
cent  when  dried  ;  making  a  showy  black  prune  —  excellent 
as  a  "  confection  "  to  eat  out  of  hand  ;  requiring  little  sugar 
and  of  the  finest  flavor  when  cooked.  The  tree  is  free  from 
all  pests,  stocky  and  vigorous ;  is  a  regular  bearer,  carry- 
ing its  fruits  well  distributed, and  requiring  no  thinning; 
remarkable  in  the  respect  that  it  sheds'  all  fruit  it  can 
not  perfect  to  a  good  large  size  according  to  the  dryness 
of  the  season.  The  tree  responds  to  good  treatment- but 
does  tolerably  in  the  grass  plot  and  under  neglect,  and 
has  been  called  "the  poor  shiftless  man's  tree." 

About  the  year  1858  Mr.  Seth  Lewelling,  a  brother  of 
Henderson  Luelling.  set  the  first  Italian  prune  orchard, 
five  acres,  near  Milwaukie.  Others,  noting  the  elegance 
of  the  fruit,  in  quality,  size,  and  flavor,  and  its  fine  ship- 
ping and  drying  qualities,  began  setting  trees  in  different 
localities  over  the  State  for  home  use,  and  as  an  experiment 
to  test  locality,  and  as  a  basis  for  business  calculation. 
About  1870  there  was  much  talk  and  speculation  about 
prunes  and  prune  growing  as  a  business,  for  and  against, 
those  favoring  showing  facts  and  figures,  those  against 


18  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

claiming  that  our  prunes  were  not  the  true  German  and 
Italian  prunes,  and  that  the  prune  in  this  country  would, 
as  they  had  in  Eastern  States,  degenerate  into  a  worthless, 
watery  plum  not  n't  for  drying,  and,  at  any  rate,  that  the 
curculio  would  soon  come  and  destroy  them.  Solid  busi- 
ness men  considered  the  prune  business  a  visionary 
scheme,  not  worthy  a  serious  consideration. 

To  verify  our  plums  and  prunes,  in  1872, 1  ordered  from 
August  Baurnan,  of  Bolwiler  on  the  Rhine,  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  reliable  nurserymen  in  Germany,  scions 
of  fourteen  varieties  of  plums  and  prunes.  These  came 
by  express  at  a  cost  of  $11  per  package.  After  five  orders 
and  five  packages  in  various  shapes  had  been  received  in 
worthless  condition,  the  sixth  package  enveloped  in  oil 
silk  and  hermetically  sealed  in  a  tin  can,  came  in  good 
order.  These  were  grafted  on  bearing  trees,  and  the  third' 
year  bore  fruit.  The  Italian  prune,  German  prune,  the 
Petite  d'Agen,  Coe's  Golden  Drop,  and  all  other  varieties 
—  just  such  fruit  as  we  had  been  growing  for  these  va- 
rieties—  thus  settling  the  matter  of  varieties  beyond  dis- 
pute. Whereupon,  from  1871  to  1881,  I  set  eighty  acres 
to  orchard  near  Portland  ;  six  thousand  prunes  and  plums, 
one  thousand  Royal  Ann  and  Black  Republican  cherries, 
fifteen  hundred  Bartlett  pears,  five  hundred  Winter  Nellis, 
and  other  pears  and  winter  apples. 

This,  I  am  told,  was  the  first  commercial  prune  orchard 
on  the  coast.  In  1876  I  built  a  three-ton  box  drier,  dried 
several  tons  of  pitted  peach-plums,  sold  at  sixteen,  cents 
per  pound  in  fifty-pound  boxes.  The  first  yield  of  prunes 
dried  in  1876  brought  twelve  cents  and  for  some  years  did 
not  drop  below  nine  cents. 

It  was  in  August,  1853,  in  the  then  little  village  of 
Portland,  we  met  our  first  surprise  in  the  fruit  product  of 
Oregon.  A  small  basket  of  peach-plums  had  attracted  a 
crowd  of  fruit-hungry  admirers.  They  were  handed  out, 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL.  19 

five  for  a  quarter,  the  smallest  change  offered  or  accepted 
in  pioneer  days. 

To-day  you  can  not  understand  the  sensation  of  this 
occasion,  or  how,  later,  the  first  boxes  of  Italian  prunes 
on  a  country  wagon  collected  a  crowd  of  merchants,  clerks, 
and  street  people  to  the  marketing,  and  how  voraciously 
they  were  eaten  out  of  hand  on  the  spot.  The  price, 
though  extravagant,  was  not  considered.  You  can  not 
understand,  for  you  were  never  young  a  thousand  miles 
away  from  home,  in  a  new  country,  isolated,  without 
transportation,  and  without  fruit.  The  peach-plums  re- 
ferred to  were  highly  colored,  large,  and  beautiful,  as  we 
know  them  in  Oregon,  but  then  they  looked  much  larger 
and  more  beautiful,  the  aroma  was  most  appetizing,  and 
the  melting,  juicy  pulp  of  the  ripened  fruit  was  enjoyed 
with  a  keen  gustatory  satisfaction. 

In  our  distant  home  in  the  West,  then  as  far  out  as 
Illinois,  we  only  knew  the  little  wild  red  plum,  stung  by 
the  curculio,  and  wormy.  We  boys  ate  them  at  the  risk 
of  the  worms,  which  we  no  doubt  often  ate  with  the  plum. 
The  cultivated  domestic  plum  had  not  been  introduced  ; 
we  had  never  seen  it,  scarcely  heard  of  it,  hence  the  sur- 
prise. 

Citizen  P.  W.  Gillette  was  then  a  nurseryman,  near 
Astoria,  and  had  imported  from  his  father's  nursery  in 
Ohio  a  fine  stock  of  fruits  and  ornamentals.  It  was  in 
1855  I  made  my  first  considerable  order,  and  I  have  been 
ordering  and  setting  trees  ever  since,  as  I  have  been  told 
I  "had  the  tree-setting  craze,  .and  had  it  bad."  In  the 
sober  reflections  of  the  present  I  must  acknowledge  it  was 
true.  I  had  to  set  trees.  For  many  years  I  cleared  our 
heavy  timber  land,  and  set  out  ten  acres  a  year.  Moder- 
ately speaking,  I  have  set  over  two  hundred  acres  in  trees 
—  not  a  large  orchard  now.  The  time  had  not  come  for 
the  large  commercial  orchards  of  to-day. 


20  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

I  was  not  alone  ;  the  mania  was  infectious;  seemingly 
nearly  everybody  was  setting  fruit  trees  and  plums  ;  the 
front  yards  and  the  back  yards  of  the  towns  had  them. 
Shrewd  business  men  set  orchards  to  plums  —  Meek  & 
Luelling,  George  Walling,  Seth  Lewelling,  and  others  ; 
later,  P.  F.  Bradford,  Dr.  O.  P.  S.  Plummer,  S.  A.  Clarke, 
Dr.  N.  G.  Blalock,  and  a  multitude  of  others  too  numerous 
to  mention. 

It  was  not  until  1871  I  put  out  twelve  hundred  peach- 
plum  trees.  There  was  then  a  great  demand  for  large- 
pitted  plums  in  the  eastern  market,  and  our  grocerymen 
called  for  them  in  considerable  quantities  at  home,  and 
often  said  to  me,  "Set  out  pitting  plums  and  peach-plums, 
and  don't  set  anything  you  can  not  pit,  for  the  American 
people  don't  want  a  prune  with  the  pit  in  it.  They  don't 
like  them.  A  few  of  our  large-pitted  plums  had  reached 
the  Saint  Louis  market,  and  were  selling  readily  at  thirty- 
rive  cents  per  pound.  We  figured  two  hundred  pounds  to 
the  tree,  then  thought  to  be  a  conservative  estimate,  one 
hundred  and  sixty  trees  to  the  acre,  and  forty  acres  in 
plums,  at  fifteen  cents  a  pound,  dried.  This  was  good, 
better  than  a  quartz  mine ;  divided  by  two  it  seemed  good 
enough.  Time  passed.  Market  reports  East  showed  active 
demand  for  pitted  plums.  Leading  wholesale  grocers 
ordered,  and  said  we  need  not  fear  an  oversupply  of  plums 
as  per  sample  sent,  and  that  there  was  nothing  so  fine  on 
the  market.  We  sold  at  sixteen  cents  per  pound,  and  were 
assured  that  they  could  not  drop  much  below  that  price. 

A  correspondent,  a  gro»wer,  Mr.  S.  J.  Brandon,  of  New 
York,  had  discovered,  or  thought  he  had,  that  a  heavy 
clay  soil,  very  like  our  hilled  lands,  was  unfavorable  to 
the  curculio,  the  blighting  pest  of  the  East  that  had  dis- 
couraged plum  and  prune  growing  in  the  States  east  of  the 
Rockies.  Mr.  Brandon,  however,  was  growing  successfully 
a  forty-acre  orchard  of  Reine  Claude  plums  on  heavy  clay 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL.  21 

land  in  New  York  State,  and  was  reaping  a  golden  harvest 
from  the  green  products  in  New  York  City  market. 

Another  correspondent,  Prof.  C.  V.  Riley,  then  State 
Entomologist  of  Missouri,  afterwards  Government  Ento- 
mologist at  Washington,  had  written  me  that  the  curculio 
did  her  work  at  night,  and  only  when  the  thermometer  was 
above  75°  F.;  lower,  she  was  chilled  and  could  not  work. 
This  enthused  us.  As  our  nights  are  uniformly  below 
that  temperature,  I  concluded,  and  yet  think  correctly,  we 
should  not  be  troubled  with  that  pest,  the  one  pest  that 
had  discouraged  the  growing  of  plums  and  prunes  in  the 
East.  We  have  no  doubt  often  had  the  curculio  imported 
from  the  East  in  soil  about  plants,  but  up  to  date  I  have 
not  seen  or  heard  of  a  curculio  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

I  set  one  thousand  Italian  prunes,  and — with  the  idea  of 
filling  in  the  drying  season  from  the  early  peach-plum  to 
the  Italian  prune  —  successively  for  some  years  I  set  out 
the  following  varieties:  Five  hundred  late  peach-plums, 
five  hundred  Washington,  five  hundred  Jefferson,  five  hun- 
dred Columbia,  five  hundred  Pond's,  five  hundred  Reine 
Claude,  fifteen  hundred  French  prunes,  twelve  hundred 
Coe's  Golden  Drop;  cultivated — plowed  twice,  hoed  around 
trees  twice,  harrowed  four  times,  and  finished  with  clod- 
crusher  and  leveler,  made  of  six-inch  fir  poles,  five  pieces 
six  feet  long,  spaced  six  inches  apart,  2x4  scantling  spiked 
to  ends,  which  has  to  this  time  proven  the  best  implement 
for  this  purpose,  and  seems  to  me  almost  indis'pensable  as 
a  finishing  tool  in  cultivating  our  clay  hill  soil. 

The  winter  of  1878  was  cold,  the  thermometer  falling  to 
zero,  with  stormy  northeast  winds  for  weeks,  ending  with 
a  heavy  snowstorm.  The  cambium  wood  froze  and  turned 
dark,  almost  black,  the  bark  burst  loose  almost  entirely  on 
many  trees,  particularly  the  peach-plums.  Over  in  Clark 
County,  Washington,  and  about  Portland  we  thought  our 
trees  were  killed  ;  yet,  in  the  spring,  to  our  surprise,  they 


22  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

nearly  all  grew  and  seemed  not  injured,  excepting  on  the 
southwest  the  bark  of  the  peach-plum  died,  as  judged,  on 
account  of  the  warm  2  o'clock  sun  while  the  trees  were  yet 
frozen.  In  a  few  years  the  damage  was  scarcely  noticed. 

The  first  year  of  bearing  I  sent  two  carloads  of  peach- 
plums,  wrapped  in  papers  and  carefully  packed  in  twenty- 
pound  boxes,  to  the  Chicago  market.  The  weather  was 
warm  in  transit,  they  were  delayed,  and  arrived  in  bad 
condition,  and  were  sold  for  about  the  freight  bill,  com- 
mission, and  other  charges.  I  made  other  ventures  of 
this  kind  and  learned  in  the  dear  school  of  experience 
that  the  peach-plum  did  not  carry  well,  and  could  not  be 
profitably  shipped  so  far  east.  Our  commission  merchants 
tried  many  such  experiments,  and  I  do  not  know  that  any 
one  ever  made  anything  shipping  peach-plums  East,  and 
I  do  know  there  were  many  losses,  and  the  business  was 
abandoned. 

Early  in  the  seventies  I  built  the  Acme  fruit  evaporator, 
bought  a  Lily  pitter,  which  pitted  three  thousand  five 
hundred  pounds  in  ten  hours,  and,  after  the  failure  of  my 
shipping  scheme,  dried  the  entire  product  of  my  orchard. 
For  some  years,  starting  at  sixteen  cents  per  pound,  the 
business  paid  nicely,  then  prices  dropped  to  fourteen, 
twelve,  ten,  and  down,  until  1890  they  were  a  drug  in  the 
market  at  six  cents,  unsalable,  and  were  held  over,  some 
for  three  years,  and  were  then  reprocessed  and  sold  at  a 
loss.  The  'fashion  had  changed,  the  fad  was  off,  people 
were  tired  of  pitted  plums,  the  trade  turned  to  prunes,  the 
call  now  was  for  prunes  with  the  pit  in,  as  it  was  claimed 
to  give  the  true  prune  taste,  which  the  pit  alone  could  do. 
This  was  disastrous.  What  should  I  do  with  my  plum 
orchard?  Here  was  a  condition  serious.  I  was  theorizing: 
"Was  it  possible  to  graft  new  heads  on  these  trees  suc- 
cessfully?" This  was  questioned;  orchardists  shook  their 
heads  and  thought  it  too  big  an  undertaking.  Some  ad- 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL.  23 

vised  digging  up  the  trees  to  set  prunes.  I  was  selling 
prunes  at  twelve  and  one  half  cents  per  pound  in  fifty- 
pound  boxes,  faced.  Our  Italian  prunes  led  the  market, 
and  were  readily  salable  at  that  figure.  This  was  paying 
fairly  well;  a  legitimate  business,  so  to  speak.  We  were 
then  possessed  of  the  idea  that  we  had  a  little  neck  of  the 
woods  in  western  Oregon  and  Washington  —  the  only  spot 
in  this  great  continent  that  could  grow  successfully  the 
Italian  prune.  We  were  led  to  think  this  as  they  had 
failed  in  California,  the  East,  and  other  localities,  and, 
presumably,  they  required  a  heavy  clay  soil,  and  a  cool, 
damp  climate, and  we  didn't  know  of  any  other  such  coun- 
try, and  we  were  growing  them  successfully,  and  we  had 
the  verdict  of  the  markets  and  all  comers  to  that  effect. 

In  1871 1  secured  an  experienced  top-grafter,  started  in 
April  and  grafted  twelve  hundred  twenty-year-old  peach- 
plums  into  the  Italian  prune,  putting  ten  to  thirty  grafts 
in  a  tree.  It  looked  destructive.  Orchardists  looked  wise 
and  said  it  was  an  experiment;  some  thought  it  would  not 
succeed.  I  had  tried  a  few  trees  the  year  before  with  my 
own  hands,  and  was  hopeful.  It  did  succeed.  Fully  ninety- 
five  per  cent  of  the  grafts  grew;  enough  so  that  no  further 
grafting  was  necessary,  while  some  trimming  out  was  nec- 
essary. I  did  not  lose  a  tree  —  this  at  a  cost  of  ten  cents 
a  tree.  I  trimmed  back  the  new  wood  annually,  and  in 
three  years  had  a  good  bearing  top,  which  thereafter  bore 
the  largest,  finest  prunes  grown  in  the  vicinity.  These 
I  wrapped,  packed  in  twenty-pound  boxes,  and  shipped 
East.  They  carried  well  and  gave  very  satisfactory  re- 
turns. I  shipped  seven  cars  one  season.  They  averaged 
me  $1.25  per  box  in  the  eastern  market,  leaving  a  nice 
profit.  Continuously  every  year  after  this  gratifying  result 
I  thus  worked  over  about  one  thousand  trees,  until  forty- 
four  hundred  plum  trees  were  all  worked  over  into  Italian 
prunes,  with  like  success  and  with  a  loss  not  exceeding 


24  FIRST  FKUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

fifty  trees.  It  was  said  and  believed  by  many  that  the 
union  would  not  be  good  at  the  graft,  and  trees  thus 
treated  would  break  down  under  a  heavy  load  of  fruit  or 
from  our  occasional  heavy  sleets.  This  has  not  proven 
true — only  a  suspicious  foreboding.  Under  a  heavy 
weight  of  fruit  and  in  two  heavy  sleets  the  union  of  the 
graft,  to  the  contrary,  has  proven  to  be  as  strong  as  any 
part  of  the  tree,  and  it  has  transpired  that  this  top-graft- 
ing is  not  so  difficult  and  mysterious  a  handicraft  as  is 
generally  supposed.  Any  careful,  painstaking  man  can, 
in  a  few  hours,  learn  to  set  a  graft ;  'and  so  with  the  wax- 
ing, etc.  A  sharp  grafting  knife,  a  trimming  saw,  a 
package  of  cotton  batting,  a  waxing  brush,  and  a  heating 
appliance  with  kettle  of  grafting  wax,  is  all  the  equipment 
required.  For  wax,  linseed  oil  and  resin,  heated  and 
mixed  to  a  right  consistence  (which  is  a  matter  of  a  little 
common  sense  experience).  A  man  who  could  not  learn 
to  top-graft  in  a  day  or  two  of  experience  I  should  not 
consider  an  orchardist  or  fit  to  work  in  an  orchard. 

My  grafting  has  been  done  in  March,  April,  and  May, 
sometimes  even  after  trees  were  in  bloom,  and  leaf.  Scions 
cut  in  January  or  February,  tied  in  bunches  and  set  (cut 
ends  down)  in  loose  earth  on  the  north  side  of  a  building, 
under  shed,  have  always  kept  well. 

Now  it  transpires  that  eastern  Oregon,  Washington, 
Idaho,  Montana,  British  Columbia,  and  other  localities, 
grow  successfully  the  Italian  prune,  and  could  probably 
supply  the  market  of  the  United  States.  California  set 
great  areas  of  French  prunes,  and  overdid  the  business, 
as  Californians  are  apt  to  do.  Probably  California,  in  the 
near  future,  will  produce  more  prunes  than  the  world  now 
consumes.  For  these  and  other  reasons  prunes  annually 
dropped  in  prices  from  twelve  and  one  half  to  four  cents, 
and  five  and  one  half  cents,  the  present  offering.  This 
year  the  four  sizes  of  French  prunes  are  held  at  two  and 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL.  25 

one  half  cents  base,  and  slow  movement.  California  is  in 
the  hands  of  a  combine,  even  at  these  prices,  and  the 
eastern  market  proposes  to  hold  off  and  break  the  com- 
bine arid  get  prunes  yet  lower.  The  few  prunes  that  are 
sold  now  are  sold  outside  the  combine  at  lower  figures. 
Canned  goods  and  green  fruits  are  taking  the  place  of  the 
prune.  It  remains  to  be  seen  whether  the  combine  will 
hold  or  break.  To  hold  possibly  means  that  the  oppor- 
tunity to  sell  will  be  lost  and  stock  held  over.  To  say  the 
least,  the  condition  is  not  encouraging.  The  trade  calls 
for  a  large  black  prune.  The  French  prune  grown  in 
Oregon  is  small  and  light  colored  and  can  not  compete 
with  the  larger  dark  French  prune  grown  in  the  Santa 
Clara  Valley,  not  to  speak  of  their  ad  vantage  in  sun-drying. 
I  have  one  thousand  five  hundred  twelve-year-old  French 
prune  trees  yet  to  work  over;  am  growing  wood  of  the 
Burbank  sugar  prune  for  scions.  California  is  setting  and 
top-grafting  into  this  prune  extensively.  Everything  is 
claimed  for  it.  "Three  weeks  earlier  than  the  French, 
much  larger,  sweeter,  drying  forty-five  pounds  to  the 
hundred;  ever  bearing  enormously;  tree  vigorous ;  free 
from  blight  or  disease  of  any  kind,"  etc. 

In  1872  set  three  hundred  Royal  Ann  cherries,  three  hun- 
dred Black  Republican,  and  later,  four  hundred  Bing,  sev- 
enty-five  Lambert,  sixty  Governor  Wood,  fifty  May  Duke, 
and  one  hundred  Early  Richmond  ;  for  some  years  the 
Royal  Ann  and  Black  Republican  brought  from  fifty  cents 
to  seventy  cents  per  pound,  in  ten-pound  boxes  for  shipment 
East.  This  was  fairly  remunerative,  but  of  late,  on  account 
of  fungi,  the  Royal  Ann  has  not  carried  well  in  the  long 
haul;  is  easily  bruised,  turns  black  on  the  facing,  and 
altogether  is  an  unattractive  and  unsalable  fruit  in  the 
eastern  markets.  We  have  discontinued  shipment.  Can- 
neries have  come  to  the  rescue  and  now  contract  our  fruit 
at  three  and  one  half  to  four  cents  loose,  boxes  returned. 


26  FIRST  FHUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

This,  also,  will  be  fairly  remunerative.  Large  dark  cher- 
ries ship  well,  sell  well,  and  probably  will  remain  profit- 
able. The  world's  fairs  of  1893  and  since  revealed  the  fact 
that  we  grow  the  largest,  showiest,  and  perhaps  the  finest 
cherry  in  the  world.  Somehow,  we  ought  to  do  well  with 
our  dark  cherries.  Sixty  Governor  Wood  and  fifty  May 
Dukes,  after  ten  years'  experience,  were  worked  over  into 
Royal  Anns,  with  the  same  success  in  the  grafting  as 
with  the  plum.  To-day  only  an  expert  would  notice  the 
graft  or  any  change  in  the  growth. 

The  object  of  this  grafting  story  is  to  say,  "  Don't  dig 
up  old  trees  because  the  fruit  does  not  suit  you,  graft  into 
sorts  that  will  suit  you."  Spraying,  enriching,  and  deep 
cultivation  will  rejuvenate  old  trees  and  bring  them  into 
vigorous  bearing  long  before  you  could  realize  from  set- 
ting young  trees,  and  at  much  less  expense. 

Ten  thousand  square  miles  of  the  valleys  and  foothills 
of  Oregon  are  in  every  way  adapted  to  the  culture  of  all 
the  fruits  grown  in  this  latitude,  of  the  finest  quality  and 
in  great  abundance.  Before  the  advent  of  the  white  man 
and  cultivated  fruits,  this  country  had  demonstrated  its 
capacity  to  produce  the  wild  fruits  abundantly,  of  fine 
flavor  and  excellence.  The  Indians,  trappers,  and  pioneers 
valued  these  highly  and  made  good  use  of  them.  As  they 
were  in  some  sense  evidence  of  a  soil  and  climate  adapta- 
tion to  and  prophetic  of  a  great  industry  now  growing  up 
among  us,  it  is  not  out  of  place  to  briefly  make  some  record 
of  them;  and  this  seems  the  more  important  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  the  pomological  division  of  the  Department 
of  the  Interior  has  taken  up  the  subject  and  is  making  col- 
'  lections  and  urging  the  improvement  of  indigenous  fruits 
and  hybridizing  and  cultivation  of  them  and  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  some  of  our  best  fruits  have  been  thus  produced. 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWKLL.  27 

The  Oregon  crab  apple  (Pyrus  rivularis)  is  found  on  cold 
marshy  ground,  bordering  ponds,  mountain  springs,  and 
streams,  and  when  favorably  situated  is  a  good  sized  tree  and 
attains  a  diameter  of  one  foot  and  an  altitude  of  twenty  feet. 
Its  rich  green  spreading  top  in  the  season  bears  heavily  a 
small,  oval,  golden-colored  apple,  which  when  ripe  is  eaten 
by  the  Indians,  and  was  used  in  early  times  by  the  white 
settlers  for  making  preserves,  jelly,  and  vinegar.  This 
species  has  been  hybridized  and  improved  by  some  of  our 
nurserymen,  and  no  doubt  will  be  further  improved,  which 
may  lead  to  a  valuable  variety  in  the  future. 

The  Oregon  wild  plum  (Prunus  subcordata),  of  which 
there  are  two  or  three  varieties,  was  much  valued  in  early 
times  for  its  fruit  to  eat  green,  for  preserves,  and  jam. 
This  plum  for  quality  is  about  the  same  as  the  native  red 
plum  of  the  Middle  West,  and  has  been  improved  by 
selection  and  cultivation;  was  used  formerly  by  nursery- 
men for  stock  on  which  to  graft  the  plum  and  prune.  The 
tree  grows  to  a  height  of  ten  or  fifteen  feet.  Another 
variety  produces  a  round  fruit  nearly  an  inch  in  diameter; 
another  an  oblong,  resembling  in  shape,  color,  and  quality 
the  Damson,  and  by  those  who  use  them  preferred  to  that 
variety.  Of  these  something  may  be  expected  from  hybrid- 
izing and  cultivation. 

We  have  two  or  more  species  of  wild  cherries;  one, 
Cerasus  demissa,  a  shrub  or  small  tree  bearing  a  purplish 
black  fruit,  very  much  resembling  the  choke  cherry, 
though  of  much  better  quality  and  edible;  is  used  to  some 
extent  in  marmalade;  its  roots  have  been  used  as  stock  to 
work  improved  varieties  upon.  The  other,  Cerasus  emar- 
ginati,  sometimes  attains  to  the  dignity  of  a  tree  one  foot 
in  diameter  and  thirty  to  forty  feet  high,  and  bears  a 
roundish,  black  cherry  about  one  third  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  bitter  and  astringent. 


28  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

The  Oregon  elder  (Sambucus  glauca)  is  a  unique  tree 
of  unsurpassed  elegance  and  rare  beauty  on  the  lawn  or 
in  the  forest;  is  of  vigorous  growth,  attaining  two  feet  in 
diameter  and  thirty  feet  in  height,  with  a  beautifully  cut 
leaf  of  rich  bluish  green,  decked  with  showy  sprays  of 
creamy  white  flowers  six  to  ten  inches  across,  and  in  the 
fall  of  the  year  gorgeously  arrayed  and  heavily  laden  with 
purple  berries,  interspersed  with  green  fruit  and  blossoms, 
which  continue  to  bud  and  bloom  from  June  to  September, 
giving  a  succession  of  flowers,  green  fruit,  and  ripe  purple 
berries  the  entire  season.  Tfye  berry  has  a  pleasant  sub- 
acid  taste,  and  with  a  little  sugar  is  palatable  in  pies, 
stewed,  or  in  preserves,  and  properly  prepared  makes  an 
excellent  wine,  for  which  it  is  now  often  used.  Another 
variety  of  smaller  growth  (Sambucus  pubens)  has  a  red 
berr}r.  also  edible.  This  variety  is  not  so  widely  distrib- 
uted, and  is  only  found  along  the  coast  and  up  the  streams 
inland. 

The  grape  (Vitis  Californica)  is  found  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  State,  and  has  been  much  used  in  other  coun- 
tries as  a  phyloxera  resistent  stock,  on  which  to  work 
European  varieties.  This  fruit  is  something  like  the  fox 
grape  of  the  East,  and  has  been  some  improved  by  selection 
and  cultivation,  and  will  doubtless  be  of  value  in  the  future. 

Oregon  is  a  land  rich  in  native  berries,  which  were  held 
in  great  esteem  by  the  Indians  and  early  settlers,  some  of 
which  are  really  fine  and  yet  much  sought  after  and  util- 
ized, and  form  a  considerable  commerce  in  our  towns  and 
cities. 

The  wild  blackberry  (Rubus  ursinus)  is  very  abundant 
everywhere,  and  takes  possession  of  neglected  fields,  fence 
rows  and  burned  districts.  The  fruit  is  of  good  size, 
oblong,  very  sweet  and  juicy,  and  believed  by  the  children 
and  good  housewife  to  be  for  all  purposes  much  superior 
to  the  cultivated  varieties.  Tons  of  this  fruit  are  gathered 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWKLL.  29 

and  sold  to  families,  and  if  there  were  more  pickers  a  large 
commerce  could  be  made  with  the  canneries.  The  Augh- 
inbaugh  is  a  sport  from  this  species. 

Of  raspberries,  we  have  four  varieties  —  the  salmon 
berry  (Rubus  nutkanus),  a  large,  yellowish,  red  fruit,  with 
a  white  blossom,  juicy,  sweet,  highly  flavored,  very  pala- 
table ;  a  red  berry  (Rubus  leucodermis) ,  highly  aromatic, 
soft,  sweet  and  very  good;  a  black  cap  (Rubus  pendens), 
not  unlike  Gregg's  black  cap,  and  with  us,  under  cultiva- 
tion, fully  its  equal.  This  berry  is  widely  distributed  and 
abundant.  A  black  raspberry  (Rubus  spectabilis) ,  being 
rather  hard  and  dry  to  rank  first  class,  yet  with  a  peculiar 
flavor  ;  very  palatable  to  some  tastes. 

The  wild  strawberry  (Fragaria  Chilensis]  is  widespread, 
abundant  and  very  prolific,  so  that  in  some  regions  it  is 
said  hogs  fatten  on  them.  The  berry  is  not  large,  but 
improves  under  cultivation,  and  by  some  is  classed  superior 
in  flavor  to  the  cultivated  kinds.  Several  fine  varieties 
have  been  produced*  by  cross-fertilization  with  this,  among 
which  are  the  Triomphe  de  Grand,  True  Chili,  and  several 
other  varieties. 

\Ve  have  several  wild  currants,  one  a  beautiful  shrub 
and  sought  in  the  Eastern  States  and  Europe  as  an  orna- 
mental lawn  plant,  and  valued  for  its  elegant  foliage  and 
early  and  profuse  bloom  of  pink  and  scarlet  flowers ; 
berry  not  edible.  The  yellow  currant  (Ribes  aureum) 
responds  well  to  cultivation,  and  in  the  wild  state  is  good 
sized  and  edible. 

Of  gooseberries,  two  or  three  kinds  are  common.  Ribes 
Menziesii  is  a  large,  hairy  berry,  edible,  but  rather  insipid, 
and  is  not  much  used.  Two  others  are  red  and  brown 
when  ripe,  a  fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  sweetish,  tart ; 
good  for  culinary  purposes;  do  not  know  of  their  culti- 
vation. 


30  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

Four  or  more  cranberries  are  found  in  the  State.  Vac- 
cinium  parvifolium  is  a  pale,  red  berry,  small,  dry,  with  a 
very  slight  cranberry  taste,  and  not  used.  Vaccinium 
ovalifolium,  high  bush  cranberry,  is  a  large,  blue  berry, 
good  and  in  some  localities  where  fruit  is  scarce  very 
useful ;  much  sought  by  the  Indians.  Vaccinium  micro- 
phyllum  is  a  red,  high  bush  cranberry,  smaller,  juicy  and 
palatable  ;  only  found  high  up  in  the  mountains.  Another 
is  found  in  the  Cascade  and  Coast  ranges  as  an  evergreen 
bush,  and  bears  a  dark,  purple  berry ;  edible.  Local 
botanists  speak  of  other  varieties. 

The  barberry  (Berberis  Aquifolium),  Oregon  grape,  so- 
called,  is  a  superb  and  elegant  ornamental  evergreen  shrub, 
in  leaf  somewhat  resembling  the  English  holly ;  in  the 
wild  state  growing  two  or  three  feet  high  ;  under  cultiva- 
tion making  a  showy  lawn  plant,  six  to  eight  feet,  with 
finely  cut,  polished  leaves  and  symmetrical  head  ;  early 
in  spring  bearing  a  profusion  of  showy,  yellow  flowers, 
followed  in  their  season  by  clusters  of  dark  purplish  black 
berries,  the  size  of  wild  cherries;  altogether  a  thing  of 
beauty  rarely  equaled  ;  fruit  acid  and  make  a  fine  bever- 
age, and  good  pies  and  preserves.  There  are  others  of 
the  barberry  family. 

The  salal  ( Gaultheria  Myrsinites)  is  scattered  through 
the  dense  fir  forests  of  the  State;  is  another  beautiful, 
small  shrub,  evergreen,  bearing  an  acid,  edible  berry,  size 
and  color  of  the  Oregon  grape;  much  sought  by  the 
Indians,  and  in  early  days  made  an  excellent  wine  for  the 
resident  Hudson  Bay  Company  employees.  The  salal  is 
a  variety  of  wintergreen,  and  seems  to  thrive  best  in  the 
deep  shade  of  the  forests ;  has  not  been  cultivated. 

The  service  berry,  or  Juneberry,  a  small  tree  six  to 
twelve  feet  high,  we  expect  to  make  a  good  record  for  in 
the  future.  This  has  been  cultivated  in  other  parts  of  the 
world  and  much  improved.  The  service  berry  in  the 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWKLL.  31 

Willamette  Valley  grows  in  all  soils,  and  at  altitudes  as 
high  as  the  snow  line,  bearing  a  sweetish,  pleasant  tasting 
berry  about  the  size  of  our  largest  wild  cherry;  as  yet  it 
has  not  been  cultivated  with  us  or  much  utilized. 

A  black  haw  (Cratxgus  Douglasii),  not  unlike  the  black 
haw  of  the  middle  west,  is  sparsely  found  in  some  localities. 

Our  one  filbert,  hazel  nut  (Corylus  rostrata),  is  of  the 
same  species  as  the  imported  nuts  in  our  market,  and 
closely  approximating  in  size,  flavor,  and  quality,  and 
grows  everywhere  in  our  valleys,  sometimes  to  a  tree  ten 
inches  in  diameter  and  from  eight  to  fifteen  feet  high. 
No  effort  is  recorded  of  any  attempt  to  cultivate  or  im- 
prove it. 

A  kind  of  chinquapin  chestnut  (Castanopsis  chryso- 
phylla).  is  a  symmetrical  growing  tree,  fifty  to  one  hundred 
feet  high,  bearing  abundantly  a  small,  hardshell  chestnut, 
sweet  and  edible. 

It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  all  the  valleys  a.nd  foot- 
hills of  Oregon  are  fruit  lands,  and  abound  in  choice 
spots  for  the  different  fruits  cultivated  in  our  climate. 

As  perhaps,  is  always  true  in  a  new  country,  the  fruits 
of  Willamette  Valley  were  uniformly  large  and  free  from 
insect  pests  or  fungus  blights,  consequently  made  a  super- 
latively fine  showing,  stood  handling  and  transportation 
much  better  than  the  fruits  of  this  valley  to-day,  kept 
much  longer  and  better ;  in  fact,  our  winter  apples  and 
pears  generally  kept  until  late  in  the  spring.  I  premise 
that  persistent  and  thorough  spraying  may  correct  the 
present  degenerate  condition  —  pests  and  blight. 

In  those  days  it  was  not  uncommon  for  Yellow  New- 
towns,  Spitzenburgs,  Winesap,  American  Pippin,  and  the 
Easter  Buerre  pear,  to  keep  well,  sometimes  marketable  as 
late  as  April  and  May.  The  Winesap  was  then  a  fine 
keeper,  as  was  also  the  Winter  Nellis  and  Easter  Buerre. 

We  have  always   had  the   reputation   of  growing  the 


32  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

largest  fruits,  proven  at  all  the  World's  fairs  in  this  coun- 
try, since  at  Philadelphia  in  1876.  Yet  larger  were  the 
first  fruits  in  the  fifties  and  sixties.  A  letter  from  Mr. 
John  Barnard,  published  in  the  Oregonian,  a  few  days 
since,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  size  of  the  Gloria  Mundi 
apple,  which  in  those  days  was  not  uncommonly  24  to  36 
ounces  in  weight.  Other  apples  were  accordingly  large. 
I  quote : 

In  1856,  fifty  years  ago,  there  was  an  apple  grown  in  Benton  County, 
Oregon,  purchased  by  my  brother,  A.  D.  Barnard,  of  Corvallis.  He 
paid  $5  for  that  apple,  and  had  a  tin  box  made  for  it,  and  sent  to  me 
in  Boston  by  express,  the  charge  being  about  $3.  The  variety  was 
''Gloria  Mundi,"  nearly  six  inches  in  diameter,  weight  42  ounces. 
The  apple  was  weighed  by  Dr.  J.  R.  Card  well,  the  dentist,  then  vis- 
iting at  Corvallis,  who  remembers  the  apple  and  price  paid  for  it. 
The  next  October,  1857,  I  came  to  Oregon,  went  to  Corvallis  and  paid 
$8  a  bushel  for  Oregon  red  apples  and  sold  them  at  $1  a  dozen. 

JOHN  L.  BARNARD. 

To  make  record  of  a  perhaps  original  horticultural 
trick,  and  the  possibilities  of  the  Pound  pear,  I  vouch  for 
the  following  story,  which  I  know  to  be  true.  It  was  how 
Mr.  J.  W.  Walling  beat  the  world's  record  possibly  for  all 
time,  in  the  growth  of  the  Pound  pear. 

As  is  evidpnt,  Mr.  Walling  was  somewhat  original  and 
withal  a  practical  fruit-grower.  He  in-arched  into  one 
body  two  of  our  native  thorns  (Crattegus  brevispino)  of 
thrifty  growth,  planted  in  a  black,  loamy  soil  near  a  flowing 
spring.  On  the  top,  thus  growing  in-arched  into  one  body, 
he  grafted  the  Pound  pear.  When  this  tree  came  into  bear- 
ing, of  good  size  and  vigorous  growth,  he  removed  all  the 
young  pears  but  two  of  the  largest  and  most  promising. 
These  he  suspended  in  sacks  to  support  an  unusual  weight. 
In  the  dry  season  of  the  late  summer  and  fall,  a  large  tub 
with  spigot  filled  with  water  to  supply  just  the  right  mois- 
ture, was  placed  over  the  roots.  The  result  of  this  pro- 
ceeding was  two  enormously  large  pears,  one  weighing 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL.  33 

54  ounces,  shown  in  some  of  our  local  fruit  meetings, .prob- 
ably in  1858.  This  pear  was  sent  to  the  Department  of 
Horticulture,  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  was  rightly  regarded 
as  a  world's  wonder  in  the  pear  family. 

Our  Royal  Ann  cherry,  (Napoleon  Bigarreaux,)  clean, 
bright,  and  beautiful,  ran  in  those  days,  3  to  3i  inches  in 
circumference.  Peaches,  when  we  had  them,  strawberries, 
blackberries,  gooseberries,  and  currants,  accordingly  large. 
The  size,  quality,  and  beauty  of  our  fruits  were  always  a 
surprise  to  newcomers. 

In  the  summer  and  fall  of  1857  a  few  ambitious  and 
competitive  fruitgrowers  of  Multnomah  County  attempted 
a  social  organization  in  Portland.  The  first  meeting  was  in 
cherry  time,  held  in  a  vacant  room  on  Front  Street.  Boxes 
and  heavy  bearing  limbs  of  berries  and  cherries,  with 
flowers  and  vegetables  of  the  season,  tastily  arranged  on 
tables,  made  quite  a  respectable  showing ;  in  fact,  a  display 
that  would  be  creditable  at  the  present  day  — 1906.  Such 
cherries,  blackberries,  strawberries,  gooseberries,  and  cur- 
rants had  never  been  seen  on  exhibition  before.  There 
was  no  sign  of  fungus  or  insect  pest — clean,  bright,  ripe 
fruits. 

George  Walling,  Albert  Walling,  Henry  Miller,  Thomas 
Frazier,  J.  H.  Lambert,  James  B.  Stevens,  Henry  Pretty- 
man,  J.  H.  Settlemeir,  Seth  Lewelling,  were  leading 
spirits,  all  enthusiasts  and  practical  fruit  growers,  knew 
about  fruit  growing,  and  did  most  of  the  talking.  Thomas 
Frazier  was  elected  president,  and  Albert  Walling  sec- 
retary. 

Monthly  meetings  were  held  for  several  months  ;  called 
meetings  were  held  two  or  three  times  in  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1858.  In  1859  the  Multnomah  County  Agricultural 
Society  was  organized,  with  Thomas  Frazier  president, 
Albert  Walling  secretary.  About  this  time  the  first  state 


34  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

fair  meeting  was  held  at  Clackamas,  a  suburb  of  Oregon 
City.  W.  H.  Rector,  president,  Albert  Walling,  secretary. 

In  1858  the  following  agricultural  societies  were  organ- 
ized, and  these  all  meant  largely  horticultural  societies: 

Corvallis,  Benton  County,  October  13,  a  county  fair 
with  fruit  display  ;  A.  G.  Hovey,  president,  and  E.  M. 
Waite,  secretary. 

Albany,  Linn  County,  a  fair,  October  28,  29. 

Salem,  September  5. 

Lane  County,  Eugene,  September  11,  12  ;  A.  McMurry, 
president,  E.  E.  Haft,  secretary. 

Yamhill  County,  McMinnville.  October  27,  28. 

Jacksonville,  October  25. 

A  county  fair  at  Eugene,  October  9 ;  president,  W.  S. 
Brock,  secretary,  B.  J.  Pengra. 

These  societies  all  inaugurated  annual  fairs,  with  com- 
petitive exhibits  of  fruits,  grain,  and  live  stock.  They  did 
much  to  educate  the  people  and  promote  the  fruit  indus- 
try of  the  State,  leading  up  to  the  permanent  establish- 
ment of  the  State  Horticultural  Society  and  state  fairs. 

In  1861,  October  1,  2,  and  3,  a  state  fair  was  held  in 
Oregon  City.  W.  H.  Rector  was  president,  and  Albert 
Walling,  secretary. 

Marion  County  fair  at  Salem,  September  11  and  12. 

Linn  County,  Boston  fair,  September  18  and  19. 

Umpqua  Valley  Agricultural  Society  Fair  at  Oakland, 
September  12. 

Yamhill  County  Agricultural  Society  and  fair  at  Mc- 
Minnville, September  24  and  25. 

Benton  County  Agricultural  Society  Fair  at  Corvallis, 
October  3  and  4. 

Lane  County  Agricultural  Society  Fair,  October  9  and 
10,  Eugene. 

Washington  County  Agricultural  Society  Fair  at  Hills- 
boro,  October  16  and  17. 


DR.  J.  R.  CARD  WELL.  35 

Multnomah  Agricultural  Society  and  Fair,  October  23 
and  24.  Thomas  Frazier,  president,  and  Albert  Walling, 
secretary. 

State  fair  at  Salem,  September  20,  October  1,  2,  and  3. 
Major  Simeon  Francis, -president,  and  Samuel  May  secre- 
tary. Hon.  R.  P.  Boise  delivered  the  annual  address. 

For  the  first  three  years  the  Oregon  State  Agricultural 
Society,  first  meeting  at  Clackamas,  second  at  Oregon  Citjr, 
and  third  at  Salem,  had  quite  a  considerable  premium 
list,  which  was  promptly  met  by  the  society  without  state 
aid,  a  three-dollar  membership  fee,  the  generosity  of  the 
public  and  members  furnished  the  necessary  money. 

On  petition  to  the  legislature  setting  forth  the  situation, 
urging  an  appropiation  for  more  efficient  work,  to  secure 
a  permanent  organization,  the  matter  was  taken  up  by 
the  legislature,  discussed  pro  and  con,  and  finally  an  ap- 
propriation of  $3,000  per  annum  was  passed,  since  which 
time  the  society  has  had  state  aid.  At  the  fourth  fair,  at 
Salem,  George  Collier  Robbins  of  Portland,  was  elected 
president,  Albert  Walling,  secretary. 

This  society  has  been  an  important  factor  in  promoting 
the  agricultural  interest  of  the  State,  now  a  permanent 
state  institution  holding  a  creditable  state  fair  at  Salem 
annually. 

The  Oregon  State  Horticultural  Society  was  organized 
in  Portland  January  13,  1889,  with  a  long  list  of  active 
members  from  all  over  the  State.  J.  R.  Cardwell.  presi- 
dent, E.  W.  Allen,  secretary. 

For  many  years  quarterly  horticultural  meetings  were 
held  by  invitation  from  the  different  towns  of  the  State, 
with  marked  interest  and  beneficial  results  to  the  horti- 
culture of  the  State,  financially,  fraternally,  and  socially. 

The  local  interest  and  generosity  of  resident  horticul- 
turists in  the  display  of  fruits,  flowers,  decorated  halls, 
music,  excursions  through  the  country,  well-ordered  ova- 


36  FIRST  FRUITS  OF  THE  LAND. 

tions,  the  defraying  of  all  expenses  of  visiting  members 
and  the  society,  was  a  notable  feature  of  these  gatherings. 
Able  papers  were  read  and  discussed,  the  best  social  feel- 
ing prevailed,  and  everybody  went  away  feeling  better 
and  wiser. 

The  Oregon  State  Horticultural  Society  is  now  a  per- 
manent prosperous  state  institution,  active  in  the  work  of 
horticulture.  Biennial  meetings  are  held,  the  annual 
meeting  January  13  in  Portland,  and  one  summer  meet- 
ing out,  as  designated  by  the  executive  committee  on  in- 
vitation of  outside  localities.  The  next  summer  meeting 
to  be  held  in  Salem,  July  6  and  7. 

The  society  has  had  two  presidents  in  the  eighteen 
years  of  its  existence.  The  Honorable  E.  L.  Smith  of 
Hood  River,  and  Dr.  J.  R.  Cardwell  of  Portland.  Prof. 
E.  R.  Lake,  botanist  and  horticulturist  of  the  Agricultural 
College  of  Corvallis  has  been  the  very  efficient  secretary 
and  treasurer  for  the  last  twelve  years. 

The  State  Board  of  Horticulture  is  a  creation  of  the  leg- 
islature of  1889,  approved  by  the  Governor  February  25, 
1889.  The  measure  was  entitled  "An  act  to  create  a  state 
board  of  horticulture,  and  appropriate  money  therefor." 
This  has  proved  an  opportune  and  very  efficient  board, 
an  educational  aid  in  the  inspection  arid  eradication  of 
insect  and  fungi  pests.  Thirty-five  hundred  dollars  per 
annum  was  appropriated  to  maintain  this  board. 

The  following  officers  and  members  were  appointed  by 
the  Governor:  J.  R.  Cardwell,  president,  Portland,  com- 
missioner for  the  State  at  large;  James  A.  Varney,  The 
Dalles,  inspector  of  fruit  pests,  commissioner  for  the  fourth 
district;  R.  S.Wallace,  treasurer,  Salem,  commissioner 
for  the  second  district;  Henry  E.  Dosch,  Hillsdale,  com- 
missioner for  the  first  district;  J.  D.  Whitman,  Medford, 
commissioner  for  the  third  district ;  James  Hendershott, 


DR.  J.  R.  CARDWELL.  37 

Cove,  commissioner  for  the  fifth  district;  E.  W.  Allen, 
secretary,  Portland. 

District  boundaries  —  First  district :  Multnomah,  Clack- 
amas,  Yamhill,  Washington,  Columbia,  Clatsop,  and  Tilla- 
mook  Counties.  Second  district :  Marion,  Polk,  Benton, 
Linn,  and  Lane  Counties.  Third  district :  Douglas,  Jack- 
son, Josephine,  Coos,  Curry,  and  Lake  Counties.  Fourth 
district :  Morrow,  Wasco,  Gilliam,  Crook,  and  Sherman 
Counties.  Fifth  district :  Baker,  Wallowa,  Malheur,  Har- 
ney,  and  Grant  Counties. 

The  biennial  reports  of  this  board  have  been  well  re- 
ceived at  home  and  abroad,  and  are  now  an  acknowledged 
authority  in  the  horticultural  literature  of  the  State.  These 
reports  were  awarded  at  the  Pan-American  Exposition, 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  a  gold  medal ;  at  the  Trans-Mississippi  Ex- 
position, Omaha,  in  1898.  a  gold  medal ;  at  the  Interstate 
and  West  India  Exposition  at  Charleston,  S.  C.,  1902,  a  gold 
medal;  at  the  International  Exposition,  held  at  Osaka, 
Japan,  in  1903,  a  gold  medal.  Are  now  used  as  text-books 
at  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  at  Sapporo  Nok- 
kaido,  Japan,  and  in  the  horticultural  studies  at  the  Agri- 
cultural College,  Stuttgart,  Germany. 

The  present  officers  and  members  of  the  board  are : 
W.  K.  Newell,  president;  James  H.  Reed,  treasurer;  Geo. 
H.  Lamberson,  secretary,  Portland.  W.  K.  Newell,  Gaston, 
commissioner  for  the  State  at  large  ;  James  H.  Reed,  Mil- 
waukie,  commissioner  for  the  first  district ;  Chas.  A.  Park, 
Salem,  commissioner  for  the  second  district;  A.  H.  Carson, 
Grants  Pass,  commissioner  for  the  third  district ;  R.  H. 
Weber,  The  Dalles,  commissioner  for  the  fourth  district; 
Judd  Geer,  Cove,  commissioner  for  the  fifth  district. 


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